Regarding Spirituality (working title & draft) A Proposed Exhibition for Fall 2017 Leesa K. Fanning, Ph.D., Curator, Contemporary Art
Draft
Presence
World cultures both past and present believe in manifestations of spiritual or divine presence, expressed through figural forms (human, animal and mythic creatures), abstract forms, the written word, nature and light. As a near universal metaphor for spiritual presence or even personal enlightenment, light is the supreme vehicle for making evident the divine. Light has presence, yet is intangible. It makes visible the invisible.
Presence
Transcendence
Transcendence describes a transformative state of being; an altered state of consciousness going beyond the limits of ordinary experience. It is accessing one’s spiritual self to discover a range of possible states of being— from quiet reverie, to peace, to ecstasy, to direct and immediate communion with the divine. It speaks to a state of oneness with the universe. We may experience transcendence in the presence of nature and/or as a result of music, dance, a poem or work of art.
Transcendence
Transcendence Through Making Art
The creative process is a form of transcendence. While making art, a temporal hiatus takes place and one is at the still point of the turning world. Words fail to fully illuminate the experience. Ritualistic repetitions play a key role. Rhythmically painting the same marks, moving the shuttle across a loom or sculpting one form over and over, are meditative endeavors, like repeating a mantra, handling prayer beads or beating a drum. The act of creation is generative; a new thing comes into the world. Some artists experience the object as animist—coming alive— interacting with the artist in dialogue.
Transcendence Through Making Art
Numbers, Writings & Recitations
Spiritual traditions endow numbers, writing systems and recitations with divine attributes challenging the idea that written forms are inanimate, static marks. Rather, written forms are animate, active and effective entities revealing esoteric and mystical meanings, talismanic functions, symbolizing and holding the secrets of the universe while representing the embodiment of the divine. Reading, writing and reciting are spiritual practices.  Recitations and songs invoke the divine inducing mystical states of being. The power of the spoken word actively brings about change—making things happen. Words spoken or sung in real time, flow from the mouths of living beings who become conduits of the divine. Some devotees literally consume the divine by physically ingesting the written word.
Numbers, Writings & Recitations
Life, Death & Rebirth
Enduring questions such as—why are we born, where we are going, why do we suffer and what happens when we die?—are at the heart of human existence. We know the joy of life and sorrow of death. Both are sacred. Art points to, probes and draws our attention to these questions, thus exploring the human condition. By examining art from around the world, we learn how various cultures address these mysteries and through art we realize we are not alone. We can compare ways of thinking, consider multiple scenarios and broaden our perspectives.
Life, Death & Rebirth
Heaven & Earth
Heaven and Earth are revered in art; artists have long looked to nature as a source of transcendent power. Countless ancient myths and spiritual traditions explain various aspects of Heaven and Earth and the deities that inhabit both realms. Nature, including flora, fauna, mountains, rivers and stars, are all given spiritual meanings. Humankind has long been captivated by the vast, star-filled night, the cosmos, time and eternity. The majestic spectacle of the sky above overwhelms ordinary perception and strikes our very core. The earth below is our home, sustaining us and providing abundantly. We are reminded through physics that our bodies are composed of the same elemental particles as those of Heaven and Earth. We are stardust, as ancient as the universe, animated by spirit.
Heaven & Earth
Ancestors, Spirits & Shamans
Ancestors, Spirits and Shamans possess the power to heal, protect, instruct, harm or benefit the living. They move freely between the physical world and supernatural realm. Ancestral spirits are deceased relatives of one’s immediate family, lineage or ancient heroic ancestors of mythical times who have achieved the status of gods. Ancestral spirits provide cultural continuity and unity. Venerating ancestors through ritual reinforces awareness of cycles of life and death and one’s inherent connection to the universe. Spirits may not necessarily be ancestors. Supernatural creatures take forms spanning from animal to human, to variations in between, to ambiguous, composite creatures who defy categorization through metamorphic transformation, to beings present in stones, trees, rivers, valleys and mountains. Masks, danced in masquerades, are spirits incarnate. Shamans are teachers, diviners and healers with supernatural powers who undergo initiation rites and rigorous training to attain esoteric knowledge. These understandings of ancestors, spirits and shamans are not common beliefs in the Euro-centric, Western world. However, Euro-centric perspectives are in the minority when compared to world populations.
Ancestors, Spirits & Shamans
Opening the Exhibition: Acts of Generosity (Bloch Lobby & Outdoors)
Activations
Activations refer to the installation of a work of contemporary art in permanent collection galleries. The work may be exhibited adjacent to historical art in order to create surprising juxtapositions linking the past and present, in contemporary galleries or in public spaces in the museum.
Activation in European Gallery P15
Permanent Collection
Activations
Activation in Chinese Galleries Permanent Collection
Activations
Barry Ace Performance Activation in Project Space
Activations
Activation in Noguchi Court
Permanent Collection
The Artist is Present